There are known methods of out-of-furnace steel refining, wherein the establishment of a vacuum in the ladle is used in combination with an AC - arc heating (ASEA-SKF, Finnkle et al - processes) with simultaneous gas or electromagnetic stirring of the melt inside of the ladle. Another version of induction heating has also been developed (IT - process). The basic shortcoming of these methods is the prolonged cycle of treatment due to the separation of the degassification processes under vacuum conditions, the electric-arc heating and desulphurization, as independent steps.
Devices using vacuum-type systems together with AC-arc or other types of heating of the metal inside the ladle use two or more sequentially located stands of the vacuum and the heating system, each stand having an appropriate device for the stirring of the melt.
The simultaneous and successive uses of vacuum and AC - arc heating is linked to a complicated design of the roof or the upper part of the vacuum chamber, to rapid wear of the lining, and to high consumption of electrodes.